Hulu reached a deal to make HBO and Cinemax available to Hulu’s live and on-demand subscribers as a premium add-on.
HBO and Cinemax are owned by Time Warner, which bought a stake in Hulu last year.
Hulu subscribers will be able to buy HBO for $14.99 a month. Cinemax will cost $9.99 a month. Another competitive streaming service, AT&T’s DirecTV Now, is offering HBO free for an introductory period. AT&T is nearing the completion of its acquisition of Time Warner.
The deal comes just before the beginning of a new season of HBO’s big hit Game of Thrones.
“By combining HBO’s iconic programming with our world class user experience and deep content offering, Hulu is giving viewers easy and highly personalized access to the very best of television,” said Tim Connolly, senior VP and head of distribution and partnerships at Hulu. “With this important new partnership, fans can now watch Game of Thrones live every Sunday, binge watch all six seasons of The Sopranos or catch up on Westworld alongside our live TV, sports, classic TV shows and Hulu originals – all without ever having to leave the Hulu app.”
HBO also offers its own over-the-top service directly to subscribers, HBO Now.
“Hulu has been a pioneer in the television streaming business, building a robust user base by offering top-tier programming from a variety of networks,” said Sofia Chang, executive VP of worldwide digital distribution and home entertainment at HBO. “We see them as the perfect partner to help us fulfill our promise to HBO fans, bringing our unparalleled programming to audiences in the most sophisticated, convenient and innovative ways.”
East and west coast live feeds of HBO and Cinemax will be available to Hulu viewers on supported devices.
Subscribers who purchase the HBO add-on through Hulu will also gain access to HBO Now through their Hulu account. Additional live channels HBO 2, HBO Family, HBO Latino, HBO Comedy, HBO Signature HD, HBO Zone, MoreMAX HD, ActionMAX HD, ThrillerMAX HD, MovieMAX HD, 5StarMAX HD and OuterMAX HD will become available within the add-ons to Hulu viewers in the coming weeks.
